This was my first go at field target shooting, under the hunting gun category. All the ranges of the targets are different and it would be useful to have had a reliable way of knowing each one, as you are not allowed to rangefind during the shoot. Also the scope has to be set to twelve 12x.

You can sit stand or rest on a tree even, in the hunting class. Leaning on the wood would have made it too easy so I adopted a sitting field target position, as I was also unfamiliar and didn't want to break any rules on my first go, it would have been too easy with a bipod or leaning on the wooden stop barrier. Afterwards I learned you could lean on the backstop but not use a bipod on the hunting category.

I squeezed off the first shot. I could hit the near targets in silhouette but not the smaller kill zone. On the longer ones I knocked down 3, 55m ones in a row. They were actually easier because I had the gun set up for them better. I had spent an afternoon sighting at 60m but only a cursory time setting up for 30 and 50m. I had no settings for 40m and 45m. The only settings I had were 30m 50m and 60m. As I have said the 60 was the only reliable settings.

You should be able to line up the cross hairs directly over where the pellet will go. You achieve this by knowing the range of the target you're aiming for and having the gun sighted for each range in a way that can be reproduced every time. This in effect means a list of how many clicks up or down for each range. Mine today was unreliable apart from the clicks I had for 55m or 60m. These were the ones I kept knocking down. The nearer ones were "harder" because my gun wasn't set up so well for the nearer ones even if I had known the exact distance. I had to judge each distance and use the scope, which is 50x, on only 12x.

You get three targets at each range, of 10 ranges. You can score 2 points for each target with a total possible score of 60 points. Three shots only, one per target you don't get another go if u miss. If u hit the outer bit, which they call the silhouette, you get 1 point, if you hit the kill zone the target will fall down and you will get 2 points. If you miss you move on to the next one with no points. I think I scored 35.

An afternoon sighting it without the silencer is in needed. I have only spent a short while doing this but you can go up on the range and play around to your hearts content in our club. The next thing after that will be to guess the ranges.

A brilliant intro to Field targeting - and a good day out!!!

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